Information Processing Device

ABSTRACT

An information processing device includes a communication unit configured to acquire drawing data in which a plurality of reference positions is set on a transportation path constituted of a transportation device and measured data which is obtained as a result of transportation on the transportation path and which includes a shape of the transportation path. The information processing device further includes a processing unit configured to detect reference positions in the measured data, superimpose the reference positions in the drawing data and the reference positions in the measured data corresponding to the reference positions in the drawing data onto each other, and correct a path between the reference positions in the measured data.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an information processing deviceconfigured to correct data collected for a transportation deviceinstalled for example in a warehouse or the like.

BACKGROUND

Conventionally, a conveyor device is often used as a transportationdevice in a warehouse for receiving and sending things into and out ofthe warehouse. In this type of conveyor device, a detecting unit such asa sensor is fixedly mounted around a component of the conveyor device oraround the conveyor device to perform fault detection.

In the case where the detecting unit such as a sensor is fixedlymounted, there is a problem that a detection range is limited. In viewof this, an abnormality detection system as disclosed in Patent Document1 has been proposed by the applicant, in which a container as an objectto be transported including a camera, a sensor module, etc. istransported on a conveyor device, thereby enabling to detect abnormalityin the entire transportation path at a low cost.

RELATED ART DOCUMENT

Patent Document 1: JP 2020-142928 A

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Problem to be Solved by the Invention

In the system disclosed in Patent Document 1, accumulated informationcollected by the system is analyzed by a computer and such, so that alocation of the detection of the abnormality in the transportation pathand such can be displayed on a terminal device or the like of anoperator.

However, there is a problem that in some cases it is difficult toinstall a guide such as a guide pole as described in Patent Document 1and/or that a method of counting the number of rollers as described inPatent Document 1 cannot be applied to a belt conveyor.

In the case where the guide is not used, the abnormal location may bedetermined by generating a transportation path (also referred to aslayout information or map information) based on images captured by acamera to determine the abnormal location based on the transportationpath. In this method, accuracy of recognition of the path may decreasedue to the effect of image blur caused by vibration or the likegenerated during transportation of the container, and this may cause adeviation from the actual layout, and so it is not always possible todetermine the abnormal location with high accuracy.

The present invention is intended to solve the problems as describedabove and aims to improve accuracy of determination of an abnormallocation.

Solution to the Problem

The present invention provides, in a first aspect, an informationprocessing device including a first acquiring unit configured to acquiredrawing data in which a plurality of reference positions is set on atransportation path constituted of a transportation device, a secondacquiring unit configured to acquire measured data obtained as a resultof transportation on the transportation path, the measured dataincluding a shape of the transportation path, a detecting unitconfigured to detect the reference positions in the measured data, and acorrecting unit configured to superimpose the reference positions in thedrawing data and the reference positions in the measured data thatcorrespond to the reference positions in the drawing data onto eachother, and correct a path between the reference positions in themeasured data.

Advantageous Effect of the Invention

As described above, according to the present invention, the referencepositions in the drawing data and the reference positions in themeasured data that correspond to the reference positions in the drawingdata are superimposed onto each other to correct a path between thereference positions in the measured data. Consequently, it is possibleto make a correction when there is a deviation between the drawing datawhich is the actual layout and the measured data, thereby improvingaccuracy of determination of an abnormal location.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a top view of a container configured to collect data to beprocessed by an information processing device according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of the containershown in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the container shown in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a map information generation process based ondata collected by the container shown in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a trained model generation process based ondata collected by the container shown in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an abnormality detection process based on datacollected by the container shown in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a computer as the information processingdevice according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the case where a deviation has occurredbetween drawing data and measured data;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a correction process in the computer shown inFIG. 7 ;

FIG. 10 illustrates a map showing a transportation path based on thedrawing data on which abnormal locations based on tracking data afterthe correction process is executed is displayed;

FIG. 11 is a diagram of a tablet terminal as an information displaydevice according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 illustrates a display example of the information display deviceaccording to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 illustrates the display example of FIG. 12 in which a timelineis slid to the right;

FIG. 14 illustrates the display example of FIG. 12 in which a map areais slid to the right;

FIG. 15 illustrates the display example of FIG. 12 in which a video areais slid to the left; and

FIG. 16 is a modified example of the display example of FIG. 12 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

An information processing device and an information display deviceaccording to one embodiment of the present invention will be describedwith reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 16 . FIG. 1 is a top view of acontainer configured to collect data to be processed by an informationprocessing device according to one embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of the containershown in FIG. 1 .

A container 1 is configured to be placed on a conveyor device 50 as atransportation device and transported by the conveyor device 50. In FIG.1 , it is transported in a direction of an arrow. Although FIG. 1 andFIG. 2 show a roller conveyor as the transportation device, othertransportation devices such as a belt conveyor are also possible.Further, although only a part of the conveyor device 50 is shown in FIG.1 and FIG. 2 , the conveyor device 50 is installed in a warehouse or thelike and includes a transportation path constituted of a straight line,a curved line and/or an inclined path, for example. Thus, the conveyordevice 50 may be constituted of a plurality of conveyor devices.

The container 1 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 is formed in a substantiallyrectangular parallelepiped box shape to constitute a housing portion 11.The housing portion 11 includes an opening formed on an upper partthereof to allow putting in and taking out goods and such. Further, thehousing portion 11 includes four side portions 11 a, 11 b, 11 c, 11 dand a bottom portion 11 e.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the side portions 11 a, 11 b are sidefaces along a short-side direction of the rectangular parallelepiped,and the side portions 11 c, 11 d are side faces along a long-sidedirection of the rectangular parallelepiped. In this embodiment, theside portion 11 a is on the front side, thus it is facing a transportingdirection (i.e., a traveling direction). Thus, the side portion 11 b ison the rear side, the side portion 11 c is on the left side toward thetraveling direction, and the side portion 11 d is on the right sidetoward the traveling direction.

The container 1 includes a camera 2, a controller 3, sensor modules 4L,4R and a battery 5.

The camera 2 is, for example, a camera module including an imagingelement such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor or a CMOS(Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor.

The camera 2 is constituted of cameras 2 a, 2 b, 2 c, 2 d, 2 e. Thecameras 2 a to 2 c are provided at the side portion 11 a to capture animage in front of the container 1. The cameras 2 a to 2 c are providedto capture an image mainly on the lower side in front of the container 1(see FIG. 2 ). The camera 2 d is provided at the side portion 11 c. Thecamera 2 e is provided at the side portion 11 d.

The camera 2 a captures an image on the front left side with respect tothe transporting direction of the container 1. The camera 2 b capturesan image on the front middle side with respect to the transportingdirection of the container 1. The camera 2 c captures an image on thefront right side with respect to the transporting direction of thecontainer 1. The camera 2 d captures an image on the left side withrespect to the transporting direction of the container 1. The camera 2 ecaptures an image on the right side with respect to the transportingdirection of the container 1. The cameras 2 a and 2 c are known thermalcameras (i.e., infrared thermographic cameras). The cameras 2 b, 2 d, 2e are wide-angle cameras.

In this embodiment, the cameras 2 a, 2 c can detect temperature of theconveyor device 50 in the transporting direction. That is, the cameras 2a, 2 c function as a condition detecting unit that detects a conditionin the front direction with respect to the traveling direction of thetransportation device. Further, the camera 2 b may be a stereo camera.

The controller 3 is provided at a place further below the bottom portion11 e. In other words, the container 1 has a double bottom. Thecontroller 3 is directly or indirectly mounted on a vibration absorbingmember 8 which absorbs vibration such as a vibration absorbing mat. Thevibration absorbing member 8 can make the controller 3 and such to beless susceptible to the effect of the vibration generated due to thetransportation.

The controller 3 estimates a current position (own-position) of thecontainer 1 based on the images captured by the camera 2. In addition,the controller 3 learns the results detected by the sensor modules 4L,4R through deep learning, and, based on the results of the learning,determines the presence or absence of abnormality by determining whetherthe result detected by the sensor modules 4L, 4R is within a normalrange. Details will be described later.

The sensor module 4L includes a sound sensor 4 a and a vibration sensor4 c. The sensor module 4L is disposed on the side portion 11 c side.Further, the sound sensor 4 a is directly or indirectly mounted on thevibration absorbing member 8, and the vibration sensor 4 c is directlymounted on a bottom face of the container 1 below the vibrationabsorbing member 8.

The sensor module 4R has the configuration basically the same as thesensor module 4L. The sensor module 4R differs from the sensor module 4Lin that it is disposed on the side portion 11 d side. That is, thesensor module 4L detects a condition on the left side toward thetraveling direction of the container 1, and the sensor module 4R detectsa condition on the right side toward the traveling direction of thecontainer 1.

The sound sensor 4 a collects external sound to detect sound emitted bya predefined conveyor device 50. The sound sensor 4 a may be constitutedof a unidirectional microphone and a frequency filter and such, forexample. The vibration sensor 4 c detects vibration applied to thecontainer 1. The vibration sensor 4 c may be constituted of anacceleration sensor or the like. The acceleration sensor is preferably3-axis acceleration sensor, or alternatively it may be 1-axis or 2-axisacceleration sensor. Further, the vibration sensor 4 c may not beprovided for each of the sensor modules, it may be provided one percontainer 1. Although two types of sensors are used in this embodiment,other sensors such as an optical sensor or a magnetic sensor may be usedas well. That is, the sensor modules 4L, 4R function as a conditiondetecting unit configured to detect a condition of the conveyor device50.

The battery 5 is directly or indirectly mounted on the vibrationabsorbing member 8. The battery 5 supplies power to the camera 2, thecontroller 3 and the sensor modules 4L, 4R described above. Further, thecontainer 1 includes a terminal (not shown) for charging the battery 5.Alternatively, the battery 5 may be detachable for charging.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of the container (abnormality detectionsystem) 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3 , thecontroller 3 includes a processing unit 3 a and a storage unit 3 b.

The processing unit 3 a is constituted of, for example, a microprocessorand the like, and is configured to perform acquisition of the detectedvalues of the various sensors, own-position estimation, deep learning,and determination of the presence or absence of abnormality, etc. Thatis, the processing unit 3 a together with the camera 2 functions as acurrent position detecting unit.

The storage unit 3 b is constituted of, for example, a storage devicesuch as an SSD (Solid State Drive), wherein the detection results of thesensor modules 4L, 4R are associated with the position informationobtained by the own-position estimation and accumulated and stored inthe storage unit 3 b. Further, layout (map) information of thetransportation path for the own-position estimation is also stored inthe storage unit 3 b.

Next, an operation of the container 1 having the above-describedconfiguration will be described with reference to flowcharts of FIG. 4to FIG. 6 . FIG. 4 is a flowchart for generating map information forperforming the own-position estimation based on images captured by thecamera 2.

First, captured images are collected from the camera 2 b (step S11), andthe processing unit 3 a extracts feature points from the collectedcaptured images (step S12). Then, based on the extracted feature points,the processing unit 3 a generates a three-dimensional map (mapinformation) for the transportation path formed by the conveyor device50 (step S13). This three-dimensional map is obtained by joining thefeature points extracted respectively from the plurality of imagescaptured when the camera 2 b is transported by the conveyor device 50,thus it is information that contains the feature points on thetransportation path.

However, the map information may not be a three-dimensional map. Forexample, it may be two-dimensional information of a path constituted ofstraight lines, curves, etc. (see, for example, FIG. 8 ). In this case,the curve may be detected as the feature point.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for generating a trained model using deep learningbased on the detection results detected by the sensor modules 4L, 4R andthe cameras 2 a, 2 c which are thermal cameras.

First, the detection results detected by the sensor modules 4L, 4R andthe cameras 2 a, 2 c are collected (step S21), and the processing unit 3a learns the normal detection results for the respective sensors throughknown deep learning (step S22). That is, it learns the detection resultsof the sensors in a condition where the conveyor device 50 is normallyoperating. Herein, the normal condition may have a certain range invalue. Further, in this step, the processing unit learns the normalcondition (detection results) for each position on the conveyor device50. This is because the normal sound, temperature and vibration haveranges which often vary depending on the position on the conveyor device50. Thus, the processing unit learns by referring to thethree-dimensional map information to associate the detection resultswith the position. Then, the processing unit 3 a generates a trainedmodel which is trained with a predetermined amount of detection results(step S23).

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for detecting abnormality using the mapinformation generated by the flowchart of FIG. 4 and the trained modelgenerated by the flowchart of FIG. 5 .

First, the detection results detected by the sensor modules 4L, 4R andthe cameras 2 a, 2 c are collected (step S31), and the processing unit 3a estimates the own-position of the container 1 based on the imagecaptured by the camera 2 b and the map information stored in the storageunit 3 b (step S32). Then, the processing unit 3 a determines whetherthe detection result collected in step S31 is within the normal rangeusing the trained model for the own-position estimated in step S32 (stepS33), and if the detection result is out of the normal range (step S33:NO), then it notifies the abnormality detection using, for example, anotifying device or the like not shown and stores in the storage unit 3b position information about a position where the abnormality isdetected (step S34). On the other hand, if the detection result iswithin the normal range (step S33: YES), then the process returns tostep S31.

Herein, the determination in step S33 is performed for each sensor. Thatis, for each sensor it is determined whether the detection result iswithin the normal range or not, and when the detection results of allthe sensors are within the normal ranges, it is determined to be normal.Thus, when the detection result of one of the sensors is out of thenormal range, it is determined to be abnormal.

In this manner, it is possible to read signs of failures for example asthose described below. However, the determination of details of thefailures as described below does not need to be performed by thecontainer 1, as long as it is detected that some kind of abnormalityexists at that position. The determination of details of the failure maybe performed by another measuring device or by an operator's check orthe like.

For example, the detection result of the sound sensor 4 a allows todetect breakage of a roller or a shaft of the conveyor device 50,failure in transmission of a drive force to a carrier roller, and/oridle rotation of a roller, etc. Further, the detection result of thevibration sensor 4 c allows to detect breakage of a roller or a shaft ofthe conveyor device 50, an inclined roller surface, failure intransmission of a drive force to a carrier roller, and/or idle rotationof a roller, etc. The detection results of the cameras 2 a, 2 c allow todetect abnormal heat generation at the power supply of the conveyordevice 50, etc.

Further, it is possible to detect failure and such in the power supplyof the conveyor device 50 by combining the detection result of the soundsensor 4 a and the detection result of the vibration sensor 4 c.Further, it is possible to detect failure and such in a motor of theconveyor device 50 by combining the determination result of the soundsensor 4 a, the detection results of the cameras 2 a, 2 c and thedetection result of the vibration sensor 4 c.

For example, using the detection result of the sound sensor 4 a alone,it is possible to detect any one of breakage of a roller or a shaft ofthe conveyor device 50, failure in transmission of a drive force to acarrier roller, or idle rotation of a roller, and, by associating thedetection result with the position information obtained by theown-position estimation, it is possible to determine where the sign ofthis failure was observed.

Using the method described above, it is possible to determine theabnormal location by the controller 3 of the container 1. However, forexample when the transportation path is displayed as a map and theabnormal location is displayed on this map, there may be a deviationbetween the transportation path (map information) created from theinformation collected by the container 1 and the layout of the actualtransportation path due to a decrease in accuracy of recognition of thepath caused by the effect of an image blur resulting from the vibrationand such during the container transportation. Thus, in this embodiment,the map information (measured data) which is created from the datacollected by the container 1 is corrected using a drawing (drawing data)of the transportation path which is prepared in advance, therebyallowing to display the map matched to the actual transportation path.In the following, the measured data is intended for the two-dimensionalmap information described above.

FIG. 7 shows a functional configuration of a computer 70 as theinformation processing device configured to perform the above-describedcorrection processing. The computer 70 may be installed in the vicinityof the conveyor device 50, or may be installed in, for example, a roomseparate from the transportation device. The computer 70 may beconstituted of a server computer or a personal computer and may be of adesktop type, notebook type, tablet type, or the like.

The computer 70 includes a communication unit 71, a processing unit 72and a storage unit 73. The communication unit 71 performs wirelesscommunication via a communication technology such as Wi-Fi (registeredtrademark). The communication unit 71 receives the abnormal location andthe measured data and such collected by the container 1. In this case,the container 1 also has a communication function. Further, although theabnormality information (i.e., abnormal location, details ofabnormality, etc.) and the measured data are received via a wirelesscommunication in FIG. 7 , they may be acquired after the transportationvia a wired connection, for example using USB (Universal Serial Bus),LAN (Local Access Network), etc., or may be acquired via a storagemedium such as a memory card.

The processing unit 72 is constituted of a microprocessor or the likeand is configured to perform the correction processing on the measureddata described above and the like. The storage unit 73 is constitutedof, for example, a storage device such as an SSD, and is configured tostore various data received by the communication unit 71.

In this embodiment, first, drawing data indicating the transportationpath is prepared in advance. This drawing data is not based on themeasured data, but is created from design data, etc. used whenconstructing the transportation path. Thus, in the drawing data, anangle of a curve and a length of a straight line, etc. described lateraccurately follow those of the actual transportation path.

FIG. 8 shows a diagram illustrating the case where there is a deviationbetween the drawing data and the measured data. In FIG. 8 , the solidline indicates the measured data (hereinafter, also referred to as“tracking data”), and the dotted line indicates the drawing data. Thatis, the measured data also includes information of the shape of thetransportation path. The reference signs t1 through t10 indicate thecurve positions on the path in the tracking data, and the referencesigns d1 through d10 indicate the curve positions on the path in thedrawing data. The reference signs t0 and d0 indicate a start point ofthe path, and the reference signs t11 and d11 indicate an end point ofthe path.

In the drawing data, the curve position is registered as a referenceposition (herein, it may be registered by manually detecting/setting).The curve is defined as a connection between one straight line andanother straight line extending in a direction different from said onestraight line. For example, the curve position may be a vertex positionof the curve, or alternatively, it may be a start point or an end pointof the curve. On the other hand, in the tracking data, the curve can bedetected by detecting straight lines from the camera image using imagerecognition or the like. The curve position detected in the trackingdata is a corresponding position that corresponds to the referenceposition. Since the position recognized as the curve may differdepending on the size of the curve, the curve position in the drawingdata and the curve position in the tracking data are determined usingthe same determination reference (i.e., a vertex position, a startpoint, an end point, etc.).

As shown in FIG. 8 , due to the effect of the vibration and the likedescribed above, the tracking data may be acquired with the direction,the angle of the curve, the length of the straight line, etc. differentfrom those in the drawing data. Thus, in this embodiment, the curvepositions in the drawing data and the curve positions in the trackingdata are superimposed onto each other and linear interpolation, forexample, is applied for the straight line between the curves to correctthe tracking data.

Specifically, first, the start point t0 is superimposed onto the startpoint d0, and then the respective curve positions are superimposed ontoone another. For example, t1 which is a first curve position in thetracking data is superimposed onto dl which is a corresponding firstcurve position in the drawing data. After that, the superimposition forthe respective curve positions is performed similarly until the endpoints. This superimposition is performed to match the tracking data tothe drawing data. Then, the linear interpolation is applied for thestraight line portion between the superimposed curve positions in thetracking data. In this way, the tracking data is corrected.

The above-described correction process is outlined in the flowchart ofFIG. 9 . First, the communication unit 71 acquires the drawing data andthe tracking data (steps S41, S42). Herein, step S41 and step S42 may beexecuted in the reversed order. Then, the processing unit 72 performsthe processing of superimposing the curve positions (step S43) andfurther performs the linear interpolation (step S44).

As is apparent from the above description, the communication unit 71functions as a first acquiring unit that acquires the drawing data inwhich the plurality of reference positions is set on the transportationpath constituted of the transportation device, and functions as a secondacquiring unit that acquires the measured data including the shape ofthe transportation path obtained during the transportation on thetransportation path. Further, the processing unit 72 functions as adetecting unit that detects corresponding positions in the measured datathat correspond to the reference positions, and functions as acorrecting unit that superimposes the reference positions in the drawingdata and the corresponding positions in the measured data correspondingto the reference positions onto each other to correct the path, in themeasured data, between the reference positions.

FIG. 10 shows a map in which the abnormal locations based on thetracking data after the execution of the above-described correctionprocess are displayed on the transportation path based on the drawingdata. In FIG. 10 , the dotted line indicates the roller conveyor, thesolid line indicates the belt conveyor, the mark “+” indicates aposition of a coupling portion, the mark “□” indicates a position of alift, the mark “⋄” indicates a position of an object detecting sensor,the mark “o” indicates a position of an inspection port, and the starmark “⋆” indicates a position of an emergency-stop switch. Further, themark “x” indicates the abnormal location. The color of the abnormallocation may be changed according to the type of abnormality such astemperature abnormality, vibration abnormality, noise abnormality, etc.

The dotted line, the solid line, the marks “+”, “□”, “⋄”, “o” and thestar mark “⋆” described above are information about the facility and maybe registered in advance in the drawing data. For the mark “x”, theseare acquired from the tracking data (i.e., the data acquired from thecontainer 1) and applied with the position correction by theabove-described correction processing. FIG. 10 is based on the drawingdata thus it has high accuracy regarding the transportation path.Further, since the abnormal location has also been corrected in a manneras described above, the position where the abnormality is occurring isdisplayed with higher accuracy.

The map shown in FIG. 10 may be displayed alone in the terminal deviceor the like, or alternatively, it may be displayed together with otherinformation so it is easier to determine the cause of the abnormality.FIG. 12 shows a display example in the information display deviceaccording to this embodiment. In the following description, theinformation display device will be described as a device including adisplay with a touch panel (i.e., a tablet terminal, a smart phone,etc.), but it may alternatively be a monitor screen of a notebook-typecomputer or a desktop-type computer as well.

FIG. 11 shows a functional configuration of a tablet terminal 80 as theinformation display device. The tablet terminal 80 includes acommunication unit 81, a processing unit 82, a storage unit 83 and adisplay unit 84. The communication unit 81 performs wirelesscommunication via a communication technology such as Wi-Fi (registeredtrademark). The communication unit 81 receives data such as datacorrected by the computer 70, the abnormality information collected bythe container 1 and information of an image captured by the camera 2.The abnormality information includes the abnormal location and detailsof the abnormality (i.e., noise abnormality, temperature abnormality,vibration abnormality, etc.). The data collected by the container 1 maybe received via the computer 70 or may be received directly. Further,data may be acquired not only via the wireless communication but alsovia a wired connection using USB, LAN, etc., or may be acquired via astorage medium such as a memory card.

The processing unit 82 is constituted of a microprocessor, etc., and isconfigured to manage the overall control of the tablet terminal 80described above. The storage unit 83 is constituted of, for example, astorage device such as an SSD, and is configured to store various datareceived by the communication unit 81. The display unit 84 includes, forexample, a liquid crystal display with a touch panel, and performsvarious display and switching of display as described later, and thelike.

FIG. 12 is a display example of the display unit such as a display ofthe information display device. In the display example of FIG. 12 , adisplay area includes, in order from the left, a timeline 101, a maparea 102 and a video area 103.

The timeline 101 is a diagram showing, in time series (i.e., change overtime), a status of detection of the abnormality when the container 1travels on the transportation path. The timeline 101 includes a timedisplay part 101 a and an information display part 101 b. The timedisplay part 101 a shows a traveling time from the start point (in FIG.12 , time advances from bottom to top). An abnormal part 101 b 1 and anabsolute movement amount 101 b 2 are displayed in the informationdisplay part 101 b. The abnormal part 101 b 1 and the absolute movementamount 101 b 2 are displayed in an overlapping manner.

The abnormal part 101 b 1 indicates time at which the abnormality isdetected, and it corresponds to the abnormal location described above.Preferably, the abnormal part 101 b 1 is displayed in red, for example,for the abnormal location so it is easily distinguished.

The absolute movement amount 101 b 2 is calculated by the processingunit 82 based on the detected values of the acceleration sensor includedin the tracking data. Specifically, the absolute movement amount 101 b 2is a value calculated by adding absolute values of the acceleration forthe respective axes (x, y, z) of the 3-axis acceleration sensor. Theabsolute movement amount thus calculated can indicate the magnitude ofvibration applied to the container 1. In other words, it can be saidthat large vibration is applied to a location where the absolutemovement amount is large.

That is, in the tablet terminal 80, the communication unit 81 functionsas an acceleration acquiring unit that acquires acceleration informationat the time of the transportation of the transportation path constitutedof the conveyor device 50, the processing unit 82 functions as acalculating unit that calculates an absolute movement amount indicativeof the magnitude of vibration on the transportation path based on theacceleration information and functions as an absolute movement amountacquiring unit, and the display unit 84 displays the absolute movementamount.

The absolute movement amount may be calculated for each sampling periodof the sensor, or may be calculated collectively for a plurality ofsampling periods. For example, when the sampling period is 1000 Hz, itmeans the calculation is performed every 1 millisecond; but for example,the calculation may be performed every 100 samples (i.e., 0.1 seconds).For example, the amounts for 100 samples may be added up, or one inevery 100 samples may be used for display. Alternatively, it may be anaverage value for 100 samples.

Further, the absolute movement amount is preferably calculated by addingthe absolute values of the acceleration for the respective axes (x, y,z) of the 3-axis acceleration sensor, but when the acceleration sensorused is 2-axes or 1-axis acceleration sensor, it may be a value obtainedby adding absolute values of the acceleration for two axes, or may be anabsolute value of the acceleration for one axis. Further, when there isa plurality of acceleration sensors, it may be obtained by adding thedetected values of all acceleration sensors, or it may be an averagevalue.

The timeline 101 may be configured to display acceleration data 101 c ofeach axis by sliding its area to the right, as shown in FIG. 13 . Inaddition to the acceleration, data (e.g., sounds) acquired by the sensormodules 4R, 4L, and/or temperature determined from the images capturedby the cameras 2 a, 2 c which are thermal cameras may be displayed. In astate where the acceleration data of each axis is displayed, sliding thedata to the left causes to return to the state shown in FIG. 12 .

In the map area 102, the map shown in FIG. 10 is displayed. For the maparea 102, an enlarged map can be displayed by sliding its area to theright, as shown in FIG. 14 . Herein, although the timeline 101 remainsdisplayed in FIG. 14 , it is alternatively possible to display the mapon the entire screen. In a state where the enlarged map is displayed,sliding the map to the left causes to return to the state shown in FIG.12 .

In the video area 103, the images captured by the camera 2 (i.e.,captured image information) are displayed. In FIG. 12 , the video area103 can display three images. Thus, the images from the camera 2 b, thecamera 2 d and the camera 2 e, for example, may be displayed at the sametime. In FIG. 12 , a video 103 a is an image from the camera 2 b, avideo 103 b is an image from the camera 2 d, and a video 103 c is animage from the camera 2 e.

Further, for the image displayed in the video area 103, its time isdisplayed on the timeline 101. In FIG. 12 , images at the timecorresponding to a position of a line indicated by a reference sign L onthe timeline 101 are displayed in the video area 103.

For the video area 103, an enlarged display for any one of the imagescan be provided by sliding the area thereof to the left, as shown inFIG. 15 . Herein, although the timeline 101 remains displayed in FIG. 15, it is alternatively possible to display the images on the entirescreen. In a state where the enlarged images are displayed, sliding theimages to the right causes to return to the state shown in FIG. 12 .

The display example shown in FIG. 12 may be a modified example as shownin FIG. 16 , for example. As in the case with the example shown in FIG.12 , the modified example shown in FIG. 16 includes a display areaincluding, in order from the left, the timeline 101, the map area 102and the video area 103.

As in the case with the example shown in FIG. 12 , the timeline 101includes the time display part 101 a and the information display part101 b. The abnormal part 101 b 1 and the absolute movement amount 101 b2 are displayed in the information display part 101 b. The abnormal part101 b 1 and the absolute movement amount 101 b 2 are displayed in anoverlapping manner.

In FIG. 16 , the abnormal part 101 b 1 is displayed for each of the leftand right cameras 2 a, 2 c which are thermal cameras. In FIG. 16 , theabnormal part 101 b 1 indicating temperature abnormality detected by theleft camera 2 a is displayed in an area indicated by the reference sign101 c 1, and the abnormal part 101 b 1 indicating temperatureabnormality detected by the right camera 2 c is displayed in an areaindicated by the reference sign 101 c 2. This allows to display on whichside the abnormality is detected, thus the abnormal location can bedetermined easier.

In addition, jump buttons 101 d 1, 101 d 2 are added to the timeline 101in FIG. 16 . The jump buttons 101 d 1, 101 d 2 allow the position of theline L to jump (i.e., transit) to the next abnormal part 101 b 1. Thejump button 101 d 1 allows to jump to the next abnormal part 101 b 1 inthe upward direction in the drawing, and the jump button 101 d 2 allowsto jump to the next abnormal part 101 b 1 in the downward direction inthe drawing.

Further, scroll buttons 101 e 1, 101 e 2 are added to the timeline 101in FIG. 16 . The scroll buttons 101 e 1, 101 e 2 allow to scroll thetimeline 101 in the time-axis direction (i.e., in the up-downdirection). The scroll button 101 e 1 allows to scroll in the upwarddirection in the drawing, and the scroll button 101 e 2 allows to scrollin the downward direction in the drawing.

Further, a temperature display part 101 f and a total number ofabnormalities 101 g are added to the timeline 101 in FIG. 16 . Thetemperature display part 101 f indicates a temperature value detected bythe camera 2 a, 2 c and is displayed corresponding to each abnormal part101 b 1. The total number of abnormalities 101 g indicates a totalnumber of the abnormal parts 101 b 1 detected by the camera 2 a and atotal number of the abnormal parts 101 b 1 detected by the camera 2 c,respectively.

The map area 102 in FIG. 16 is basically the same as that of FIG. 12 ,except that a value regarding the abnormality is displayed next to theabnormal location indicated by the “x” mark. When it is displayed as“L52” as shown in FIG. 16 , it indicates that it is the abnormalitydetected by the left camera 2 a and that the detected temperature was52° C. The value of the abnormality need not be displayed for allabnormal locations indicated by the “x” marks, and, for example, it maybe displayed for one selected location. In the case where it isdisplayed for one selected place, the abnormal location at which thevalue is displayed is preferably indicated with the “x” mark that islarger and thicker than other “x” marks (alternatively, a display colorthereof may be changed).

Further, in the map area 102 in FIG. 16 , a part corresponding to theline L of the timeline 101 is displayed as a preview point P. In thisway, it is possible to check by linking the position with time. Ofcourse, when the line L is moved, the preview point P may also be moved.Alternatively, the preview point P may always be displayed at the centerof the map area 102. Further, the preview point P may be linked to thetime of the image being displayed in the video area 103 (that is, theimage captured at the preview point P may be displayed in the video area103).

The video area 103 in FIG. 16 is basically the same as that in FIG. 12 .Unlike FIG. 12 , the video 103 b in FIG. 16 may display the image fromthe camera 2 a, and the video 103 c may display the image from thecamera 2 c.

According to the embodiment described above, the computer 70 isconfigured such that the communication unit 71 acquires the drawing datain which a plurality of curve positions is set on the transportationpath constituted of the conveyor device 50, and the tracking data whichincludes the shape of this transportation path obtained from thetransportation on the transportation path. Then, the processing unit 72detects the curve positions in the tracking data, superimposes the curvepositions in the drawing data and the curve positions in the trackingdata corresponding to those curve positions onto each other, andcorrects the path between the curve positions in the tracking data.

Thus, the curve positions in the drawing data and the curve positions inthe tracking data corresponding to those curve positions in the drawingdata are superimposed onto each other, and the path between the curvepositions in the tracking data is corrected, it is possible to make thecorrection even when there is a deviation between the drawing data whichis the actual layout and the tracking data, thereby improving accuracyof determination of the abnormal location.

Further, since the curve position is used as a reference position, it iseasy to set the reference position. Further, since the path between thereference positions is linear, it is possible to perform the linearinterpolation, thereby facilitating the correction processing.

Further, since the tracking data is obtained by transporting, on thetransportation path, the container 1 including the cameras 2 a, 2 c andthe sensor modules 4L, 4R which detect a condition of the conveyordevice 50, the tracking data can be automatically acquired bytransporting the container 1.

Further, the tablet terminal 80 is configured such that thecommunication unit 81 acquires the acceleration information during thetransportation of the transportation path constituted of the conveyordevice 50, and that the processing unit 82 calculates the absolutemovement amount based on the acceleration information. Then, the displayunit 84 displays the absolute movement amount. By doing so, the locationwhere the absolute movement amount is large can be determined to be thelocation where the vibration is large and serious failure is possiblyoccurring, allowing to give this location a priority in checking.

Further, the acceleration information is the acceleration informationfor the three axes, and the calculating unit calculates the absolutemovement amount by adding the absolute values of the respectiveaccelerations for the three axes. Consequently, the vibration applied tothe container 1 from each of the up-down direction, the front-reardirection and the left-right direction can be reflected in the absolutemovement amount, thereby enabling to detect the abnormal location moreaccurately.

Further, since the display unit 84 displays the absolute movement amountas a change over time, it is possible to identify the time when thelarge vibration is applied, thus the abnormal location can be determinedquickly.

Further, the tablet terminal 80 acquires abnormality occurrenceinformation which is information about the abnormality occurringlocation on the transportation path, and the display unit 84 displaysthe abnormality occurrence information and the absolute movement amountin an overlapping manner. Consequently, it is possible to indicate therelationship between the abnormality occurring location and the locationwhere the vibration is large. Moreover, it is also possible to easilyseparate the abnormality related to the vibration from the abnormalityrelated to causes other than the vibration.

Further, the abnormality occurrence information also includes thecaptured image information obtained by capturing the image on thetransportation path by the camera, and the display unit 84 displays thetimeline 101 in which the abnormality occurrence information and theabsolute movement amount are displayed in an overlapping manner, the maparea 102 in which the layout of the transportation path is displayed,and the video area 103 in which the captured image information isdisplayed. By doing so, it is possible to display three types ofinformation at the same time. Moreover, the timeline, the map and thecaptured image information can be displayed in a linked manner, therebyfacilitating the search for the cause of the abnormality and such.

In the information display device described above, the correctionprocessing performed by the computer 70 is not essential as long as theinformation display device can acquire data that enables the display asshown in FIG. 12 , etc. Further, in the information display device, thecalculation of the absolute movement amount is also not essential, andthe information display device may be configured to acquire the resultscalculated by an external device. In other words, the informationdisplay device may be at least configured to acquire the absolutemovement amount and the abnormality information and display them in anoverlapping manner.

Further, the timeline 101 may be displayed in terms of distance ratherthan time. In this case, the distance from the start point of the pathto the abnormal location becomes clear.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.That is, those skilled in the art can variously modify and implement theembodiments in accordance with conventionally known knowledges withoutdeparting from the gist of the present invention. Those modificationsare of course within the scope of the present invention as long as theyinclude the configuration of the information processing device and/orthe information display device of the present invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

-   1 container (object to be transported)-   2 a camera (condition detecting unit)-   2 b camera-   2 c camera (condition detecting unit)-   2 d camera-   2 e camera-   3 controller-   4L sensor module (condition detecting unit)-   4R sensor module (condition detecting unit)-   50 transportation device-   70 computer (information processing device)-   71 communication unit (first acquiring unit, second acquiring unit)-   72 processing unit (detecting unit, correcting unit)-   80 tablet terminal (information display device)-   81 communication unit (acquiring unit)-   82 processing unit (calculating unit)-   84 display unit-   101 timeline (timeline part)-   102 map area (map part)-   103 video area (video part)

What is claimed is:
 1. An information processing device comprising: afirst acquiring unit configured to acquire drawing data in which aplurality of reference positions is set on a transportation pathconstituted of a transportation device; a second acquiring unitconfigured to acquire measured data obtained as a result oftransportation on the transportation path, the measured data including ashape of the transportation path; a detecting unit configured to detectcorresponding positions in the measured data that correspond to thereference positions; and a correcting unit configured to superimpose thereference positions in the drawing data and the corresponding positionsonto each other, and correct a path, in the measured data, between thereference positions.
 2. The information processing device according toclaim 1, wherein the reference position is a curve position on thetransportation path.
 3. The information processing device according toclaim 1, wherein the measured data is obtained by the transportation ofan object to be transported on the transportation path, the object to betransported including a condition detecting unit that detects acondition of the transportation device.